Allah,"Iyyaka na'budu"(You alone do we worship). While the intelligent
and committed believer realizes that his very lifestyle spells
worship, he knows, remembering the words of our Prophet(pbuh)
that"Du'aa' (supplication) is worship"[Tirmidhi, Abu Daud]
Allah, the Most Merciful, has encouraged the believers to take
advantage of certain times during the year to make du'aa'. Such an
occasion presents itself annually during Ramadan — especially onthe
Lailat-ul-Qadr, the Night of Power. On this night, the single most
important event in human history unfolded as, after the Glorious Quran
was preserved in the Protected Tablet, Jibril descended with the
blessed book to reveal it, upon Allah's command, toHis Messenger
(pbuh).
Accentuating its significance, Allah says"And how would you know (the
value of the) Night of Qadr."[97:2] So valuable is this Night of Qadr
that the Quran devotes a special surah toit."Lailatul Qadr is better
than a thousand months"[97:3] This one night surpasses the value of
30,000 nights.
The most authentic account of the occurrence of the Night indicates
that it can occuron any one of the last ten, odd numbered nights of
Ramadan. The fact that the exact night is unknown reflects Allah's
will in keeping it hidden. Indeed, the Prophet (pbuh) was prevented
from telling usits precise time. One day, he came out to tell the
companions the exact night. On the way he sawtwo men arguing with each
other. By the will of Allah, he (pbuh) forgot and subsequently
remembered it. Afterwards the Prophet (pbuh) was instructed not to
divulge this information."Had I been allowed,"he (pbuh) remarked
once,"I would have told you (of its exacttime)."[Ahmad]
The Almighty in His wisdom kept this hidden from us for many reasons.
Perhaps He wants us to strive hard inour worship during the last ten
days of Ramadan so that we don't become lazy, worshipping hard on just
that one night and denying ourselves the benefit of doing the same on
the other nights."Had people not left their salah except for that
(one) night, I would have informed you (of itsexact
date)."[Al-Tabarani]
The sincere believer who worries day and night about his sins and
phasesof neglect in his life patiently awaits the onset of Ramadan.
During it he hopes to be forgiven by Allah for past sins, knowing that
the Prophet (pbuh) promisedthat all who bear down during the last ten
days shall have all their sins forgiven. To achieve this, he remembers
the Prophet's (pbuh) advice in different sayings wherein he used words
like "seek", "pursue", "search", and "look hard"for Lailat-ul-Qadr.
Moreover, Allah and His Prophet (pbuh) provided us some signs of its
occurrence. Allah (swt) describes the night as"..peace until the rise
of the morn."[97:5] In various sayings, the Prophet (pbuh)
describedthe night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at
sunrise would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp
rays. The Prophet (pbuh) added that"the angels on earth on that night
of Qadr will be more numerous than all the pebbles of the earth."
What should one do during the last ten days in pursuit of Lailat-u-
Qadr? The devoted servant of Allah makes these nights alive with
prayer, reading and reflecting on Quran. He makes du'aa' to Allah,
penitently beseeching Him for His forgivness. Heis inspired by the
Prophet's (pbuh) words"Our Lord, most Exalted, Most high comes down
tothe lowest heaven duringthe last third of each night and announces
(reassuringly): Whoever makes du'aa', I shall answer it. Whoever asks
(for something halal) I shall grant it; and whoever seeks forgiveness,
I shall forgive him."[Bukhari] The believers, conscious of Allah and
their sins, will continue to beseech Allah, in and out of prayer,
during their prostrations. For a time, the only concern will be
cleansing oneself of the forgetfulness that this lifepropagates in
one's heart, the sins that accumulate, darkening the heart, making it
insensitive to disobeying Allah. The believer begs Allah to keep him
away from misfortunes in this world, the punishment ofthe grave, and
the torment of Hell. He asks Allah to make him patientand steadfast in
struggling to maintain his Islam in this world and asks Him to
overlook his shortcomings, periodsof laziness and neglect.
Sincere devotion on that night will render the believer forgtful of
the time, until he is surprisedby the Adhaan of Fajr. After Fajr, as
the sun creeps above the horizon, reddish and weak in its appearance,
without any rays, the effort at night will have been worthwhile. The
believer rejoices, knowing that this was quite possibly Lailat-ul-Qadr
and"whoever stays up (in prayer and remembrance of Allah) on the Night
of Qadr fullybelieving (in Allah's promise of reward for that night)
and hoping toseek reward (from Allah alone and not from people), he
shall be forgiven for his past sins."[Bukhari, Muslim]
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